Kick Start The Year With These Energy Conservation Tips!

One of my New Year resolutions for 2016 is to run a more energy efficient home. So I did a little digging and I’m here to share with you these tips on how to improve your house’s energy consumption:

First strategy: replace old appliances

Big appliances like washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators consume a ton of energy, especially the old models. So if you want to reduce your monthly electric bill, replacing your old appliances may result in the energy efficiency you want.

If monetary restrictions are preventing you from buying new appliances, you can still save energy using your old appliance.

80 to 85 per cent of energy used to wash clothes is used to heat water. Hence, changing the setting of your washing machine from hot to warm water can already reduce the machine’s energy consumption by half! This is a pretty easy switch to make, since cold and warm water produce the same results as those of washing in hot water.

Correct placement of appliances can also contribute to lower energy consumption for your home. For example, don’t put stoves that produce heat next to refrigerators that produce cold.

Second strategy: utilise your surroundings

Adding some greenery in your surroundings can make a difference in your heating/cooling bill.

Did you know that planting or placing trees around your home can lead to a 25 per cent drop in your annual heating and cooling bill? That’s £68 to £178 slashed of your annual bill through adopting a few trees in your backyard.

You can also maximise their energy effect through planting deciduous trees such as oak, maple, and hickory. These trees can give you shade during warm summers and allow the sunshine to stream in your windows at winter because they shed their leaves during fall.

Trees aren’t the only plants which can help you run an energy efficient home. Planting evergreens and shrubs on the north and west side of your house can help deflect strong cold winds and reduce heating costs during winter.

Third strategy: don’t waste energy

Switch off appliances that are not in use, especially televisions and computers. Monitors consume half of the system’s energy consumption even if it’s just on standby. Thus, if you are not going to use the TV or computer, better just shut it down.

I used to keep my chargers plugged in the socket, even when no devices are attached to it whenever I am running late for work in the morning. Apparently, this practice is a huge waste of energy. Chargers continue to consume a ton of energy even when no device is plugged to them. Thus, don’t forget to unplug even when you’re in a hurry.

Follow these tips and you’re sure to live in a more energy efficient home this 2016!